Tourism Australia returns to M&C Saatchi

Tourism Australia has reappointed M&C Saatchi for its global creative account after 10 years.

The agency has been tasked with providing global brand, advertising and production services for Australia’s tourism organisation.

Tourism Australia has also hired Digitas as its global digital agency after a pitch process that lasted for several months and included the incumbent, Clemenger BBDO Sydney.

M&C Saatchi's appointment comes a decade after it split with Tourism Australia. The agency was behind the controversial "So where the bloody hell are you?" ad campaign in 2006. The use of "bloody" prompted BACC, the UK’s then advertising clearance body, to ban the spots before 9pm because the word was considered too rude.

Droga5 New York was appointed in 2017 to create the organisation’s Super Bowl ad in February. The 60-second spot, "Dundee: the son of a legend returns home", starred Chris Hemsworth in a faux movie trailer that parodied the Crocodile Dundee movie franchise.

M&C Saatchi will begin work on the business in January and take over from Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, Clemenger BBDO's sister shop, in the UK.

The other five contenders shortlisted in the process were BMF/Mother in a joint bid, Clemenger BBDO, DDB, Droga5 and Publicis Communications.

Tourism Australia's chief marketing officer, Lisa Ronson, said: "The ideas M&C Saatchi shared were extremely creative and they demonstrated the kind of big thinking we need to effectively differentiate Australia from the competition."